Community keen to take over school building

A COMMUNITY group has ambitions of taking over a village primary school which was closed last year.

Hutton Primary School, based at Boreland, has been declared surplus to requirements by Dumfries and Galloway Council, which has prompted Hutton Community Initiative to show interest in the building.

While the group has made an approach to the council, no firm plans have been drawn up and presented to the council yet.

Councillors will discuss the disposal of the former primary school building and land at Annandale and Eskdale Area Committee next Wednesday.

A report, due to be tabled at the meeting, reads: “Hutton Community Initiative have submitted a community asset transfer stage one expression of interest in this property.

“An expression of interest is not a formal request to transfer and prohibitions on disposal by other means are not applied at this stage.

“Members of the Annandale and Eskdale Area Committee are now invited to put forward names of other local community groups who may have interest in the surplus property.”

North Milk Community Council has been consulted about the future of the former school, however no comments have yet been received from the group.

Hutton Primary had been mothballed for three-and-a-half years due to low pupil numbers.

Pupils and teaching staff were amalgamated with Applegarth Primary, and councillors approved moving to the statutory consultation process for the permanent closure of the school in March last year.